The Center for Southeast Asian Studies presents for the first time at a university in the US, the new release, LOOT - A Story of Crime and Redemption, a documentary directed by Don Millar that exposes the illegal trade of Cambodian "blood antiquities". The film travels from landmine-laced temple ruins in Cambodia to the polished halls of elite museums in London and New York, capturing the staggering contrast between impoverished looters and the wealthy individuals profiting from their activities. As looted Khmer artifacts begin to be returned — some as recently as July 2024 from the Met Museum — LOOT documents a redemptive arc of a country reclaiming its cultural identity.

Panel discussion to follow screening.

Panelists:

Mitch Hendrickson

Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Illinois Chicago

Trude Jacobsen Gidaszewski

Professor of History, Northern Illinois University

Catherine Raymond

Professor of Art History (retired), Northern Illinois University

This event is free and open to the public.